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Lowell High principal search narrows

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
05/07/2017 08:26:59 AM EDT

Salah Khelfaoui

Sun Staff Report

THE SCREENING Committee charged by Lowell School Superintendent Salah Khelfaoui to select a handful of finalists from a 27-candidate field of applicants hoping to be the next high school principal took out its paring knife Thursday.

According to sources, 20 applicants were diced. The committee is apparently impressed with three applicants, but added an additional four to advance seven semi-finalists to the interview round May 15.

The only in-house candidate, high school curriculum director, Amy McLeod, remains in the running.

Although McLeod is advancing in the process, speculation continues that she might not be able to land the job, primarily because she is perceived to have pushed-back on Mayor Edward Kennedy's efforts to get the high school to revamp its science and technology course offerings.

That could explain, insiders say, why Khelfaoui encouraged two of the four high school housemasters, Marie Vejar and David Slattery, to throw their hats into the ring.

Khelfaoui said he indeed encouraged Vejar and Slattery to apply, but because it was a good opportunity to advance, not to make the candidate pool more appealing.

History is rearing its ugly head here. The administration can't afford to hire another outside candidate -- like it did between former Headmaster William Samaras and current Head of School Brian Martin -- and have that person be a complete bust. That person was Ed Rozmiarek, whose contract was not renewed after three years. Martin is retiring at the end of the current school year.

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With the city about to embark on the most expensive infrastructure improvement in its history -- either building a new high school at Cawley Stadium or renovating and enlarging the current downtown buildings -- Lowell High's next leader has to have super-human qualities, members of the screening committee said.

"The next principal has to be a community leader," said one screening committee member. "Someone who can delegate all the academic, administrative and discipline issues and instead be a big leader in the community.

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THE RECENTLY completed audit of how the Dracut Police Department has overseen its evidence operation left little doubt: There was little to no oversight. In fact, the auditor found "years of neglect."

A September audit found that hundreds of items in the DPD's evidence room -- including drugs, sexual-assault kits, uncounted cash, and weapons -- were not properly marked or documented in the evidence log.

So just who was in charge? The auditor's report, acquired by The Sun through a public record request, was redacted. But it's well-known: Deputy Chief David Chartrand, Lt. Demetri Mellonakos and Sgt. Gregg Byam -- all of whom are currently mired in a lawsuit, brought by a former Dracut detective, involving alleged drug use by officers

In his lawsuit, which is in the discovery phase in federal district court, former detective Joseph Jakuttis claims a confidential informant told him that Mellonakos and Byam attended sex and drug parties at the informant's house and that Mellonakos once hid cocaine seized as evidence and later consumed it.

Jakuttis's lawsuit also alleges that Mellonakos and Chartrand retaliated against him once he brought the confidential informant's accusations to the attention of a drug task force.

Both Mellonakos and Byam had their access to general evidence removed on Sept. 6, 2016, according to the audit.

Much of the discrepancy between items found in the evidence room and the department's evidence log could be due to inadequate record keeping, the consultant wrote, but "improper diversion cannot be ruled out without further research and investigation."

As for Chartrand, he was recently unsuccessful in his quest to become top cop, a job that went to former Hooksett, N.H. chief Peter Bartlett.

DAYS AFTER thumping incumbent Matthew Sheehan for the one open seat on the Dracut School Committee, Sabrina Heisey credits part of her success to Emerge Massachusetts, an organization aimed to increase the number of Democratic women in public office.

"I think it takes a lot for many women to sign up to do this, but I think now more than ever women are jumping at the chance to try," Heisey said of running for office. "I knew before the presidential election that, fine, if these people could run the country, I could run for School Committee. I've always been a super voter and followed local stuff."

Heisey said she enrolled in a six-month class that taught her and other women throughout the state on how to form a great campaign plan, how to tell if a voter is with you, and other aspects of running for public office.

"I didn't need the confidence to run. I needed the mechanics," the new school committee member said. "I'm the kind of person who needs to know the process."

Last Monday, Heisey took the seat with 1,493 votes while Sheehan had 930. Nearly 12 percent of Dracut's 21,121 registered voters went to the polls, according to the Town Clerk's Office.

"When I won, my Emerge sisters were at my house," Heisey said. "They were on the phone, they were knocking on doors. Emerge gave me a group of people who I now love."

ON THE day before the Dracut town election, former Housing Authority member Brian Bond posted on The Sun's Facebook post, encouraging others to consider writing "Tenant" under the Housing Authority ballot. Incumbent Debra DeWitt Ahren was running unopposed.

"I was trying to send a message that the committee needs to focus on their mission," Bond, who hosts "The Dracut Connection, told The Sun last week. "The message is that the committee is there to serve the tenants, and the tenants are not there to serve the committee."

Bond said he wishes there was a tenant representative on the board but Mary T. Karabatsos, executive director of the Housing Authority, said it's not required. According to Karabatsos, there were efforts to change the law around board member elections in 2014 but the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which the authority operates under, never put out more details on how to move forward.

"All of a sudden they sent out a notice to town clerks, saying a tenant has to be on the board," she said. "DHCD then pulled it back... so for 2017, it's been pulled. Who knows what's going to happen in 2018."

Bond claims Ahren tried to stop tenants from getting their voices heard on the board. Ahren denied this to The Sun on Friday. In response to Bond's statement that the Housing Authority is there to serve the tenants, Ahren said she agreed with him.

"I don't disagree with that premise, but there's got to be a way of doing it. There's got to be rules and regulations that has to be completed," she said. "I think it would be beneficial to have a tenant representative."

According to Town Clerk Kathleen M. Graham, almost all of the write-ins during last Monday's town election were blank votes. Bond, she said, received eight votes.

"A lot of people wrote in 'Tenant' but that would be considered a blank because there's no name on it," she said. "You have to name a person. It's not a pick and choose contest. It's an elected contest."

Bond said he understood that the 'Tenant' write-ins weren't legitimate.

"It sends a message," he said.

FINALLY SOME juicy election news in Lowell, where normally this time of year in an election season aspiring city councilors and School Committee members are attending every civic event on the busy spring calendar, raising money, trying to raise political profiles before Memorial Day, when political matters generally shut down until after Labor Day.

Not passing any judgment on the handful of CC and SC candidates who've announced so far, but the only candidate who generated in a little buzz is Matthew LeLacheur -- for obvious reasons.

Last Monday, School Committee member Robert Gignac got tongues wagging in announcing he's a candidate for City Council.

"I'm very excited about taking this step forward," Gignac, 28, told The Sun's Rick Sobey Monday morning. "It's something I've thought long and hard about," "It's time for me to take this step, and be an asset to the council."

Contrary to some beliefs, jumping to City Council from School Committee isn't easy, and it can be unsuccessful. Just ask David Conway. In several city elections prior to 2011, Conway, a former Lowell High School housemaster, topped the ticket in School Committee elections. He dropped to fourth in 2011, and climbed back to second in 2013. Hoping to parlay that strong performance to a City Council seat, he ran in 2015 but finished a disappointing 12th.

Gignac never saw Conway-like strength at the ballot box. He got elected in 2011, finished seventh in 2013 and returned with fifth-place in 2015. Perhaps he's envisioning the open council seat, as Councilor Jim Milinazzo, a former mayor, announced last week he's not seeking re-election.

Others, however, have made the jump. Jim Leary, for example, finished fifth in the 2011 School Committee race, then topped the ticket in 2013. He got elected to the City Council in 2015, finishing ninth.

Recently, Gignac was one of the school board members to propose a policy of not allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into schools for the purpose of detaining undocumented students, unless they have a court order. The School Committee voted 5-0 to adopt the largely symbolic measure.

On the biggest issue this election season -- whether to build a new high school at Cawley Stadium or renovate the existing structures downtown with new construction -- Gignac is mum.

Whatever past election results show and regardless of Gignac's motivation, he's brought a little spice to what otherwise has been a rather dull pre-election season.

Besides LeLacheur, the grandson of the late Lowell Rep. Edward LeLacheur, the other challengers who have announced City Council campaigns are Daniel Finn and Karen Cirillo. School Committee candidates include Gerry Nutter, Dan Shanahan, Tim Blake and Noelle Creegan.

EYES TURNED as Mayor Kennedy strolled into Wednesday's School Committee meeting carrying a new gavel that looked like it might once have been used to squash vikings.

The polished, wooden hammer, crested with the city's seal, dwarfed the mayor's usual instrument and raised questions about whether Kennedy was ready to crush skulls if the contract he had finalized with Superintendent Khelfaoui didn't receive approval.

"It does sort of look like Thor's hammer," the mayor acknowledged.

But the gavel is, in fact, a gift from a handy Lowellian: Joe the Stick Man, of the Acre.

Joe was in the audience Wednesday night, sporting a staff embedded with colorful lights, so Kennedy decided to bring out the medieval showpiece.

In a completely unrelated matter, the School Committee approved Khelfaoui's contract by a 5-2 margin.

BILLERICA FIREFIGHTERS and a few family members joining Town Meeting in the 11th hour to fight the Civil Service article became the talk of the town before the annual spring gathering.

Prior to the first session on Tuesday, a Billerica politico told The Sun, "Let's see if they even show up tonight." The Civil Service article would not come before Town Meeting on the first night.

The Sun checked the voting records after the first session, and the fresh blood connected to the Fire Department did in fact show up for articles unrelated to Civil Service.

Those members who attended are: Lawrence Bavis, firefighter union president; Brett Fredrickson, firefighter; Chuck Rivanis, firefighter; John Spinosa, firefighter and his family member, Brandon. The only absentee from the newcomer group was Shannon Spinosa.

A few other names with connections to the Fire Department also filled spots, but they have a history of participating in Town Meeting: Steven Jenkins, fire captain; William King, fire lieutenant; and Patricia Battcock, the mother of Matthew, a fire lieutenant. These three names all attended on the first night.

The Civil Service article is expected to be voted on this week. It comes in the wake of the Fire Department sex scandal.

The town would be able to increase its pool of applicants for the next fire chief and police chief under this Civil Service proposal from Town Manager John Curran.

His Town Meeting warrant article "seeks to give the town broader opportunity for qualified candidates for these positions in the future," according to the article's description.

"It does not impact the Civil Service status of the current chiefs," the article states.

The overwhelming majority of Massachusetts' communities are no longer using Civil Service for the leaders of their police and fire departments.

Sources told The Sun that this Billerica proposal would help the town select the next fire chief from the outside to change the alleged "frat house culture" in the department. The town recently suspended three male firefighters and one female dispatcher for alleged "sexual misconduct" while on-duty in the central fire station.

JAYNE MILLER made history as she took to the podium to moderate Tewksbury's Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting earlier this week. She is the first woman in town to serve in that position.

"Going into it, I felt really prepared and I was not nervous at all -- right up until about two minutes before we started," Miller said.

But overall, Miller thought it went well and said she received positive feedback.

In the future, she is hoping to incorporate some new things into Tewksbury's Town Meetings.

"I want to make the meeting a little smaller by adding a drop curtain to improve hearing," she said. "I want to drop a screen to project the articles so you can see where you are."

Miller added that she would like to see something like a 'State of the Town' announcement made at the beginning of the meeting, highlighting the work of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committees as it relates to things like revenue and expenditures.

Miller even had a little fun Wednesday night when she propped her phone near the microphone to play music before Special Town Meeting began. When The Sun arrived, "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars was playing.

"It's serious business what's being done at Town Meeting, that matters," Miller said. "But I want people to feel more comfortable. We can make it enjoyable."

WITH TOWN Meeting stretched across many nights, town officials started to get a little loopy this past week.

"Welcome to episode three of the spring Town Meeting," Town Moderator Jon Kurland said as Monday's session began.

During a long discussion about stormwater management requirements, attendees found comic relief from an unexpected source: state Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Coordinator Frederick Civian, who was full of humorous quips.

As reps mused over how to afford both stormwater management and full-day kindergarten in the same year, Civian had a suggestion.

"Can't you teach the kids to do stormwater work?" he joked, drawing laughs from the audience.

On Thursday, the fourth and final night, some reps remarked that Kurland's attempt to shorten Town Meeting by combining the question-and-answer and debate sections didn't appear to be working. Still, reps overwhelmingly approved the article.

Thursday also came with sad news. Health Director Richard Day, who is retiring this summer, is stepping away from another role: Town Meeting brownie baker. Day said he was asked one time to make brownies for Town Meeting refreshments, and found himself doing it for 25 years.

Will another baker step up to provide attendees their sugar fix to get through those long nights?

"How many councilors does it take to fix a chair?" -- Lowell City Councilor Jim Leary, as his colleagues Rodney Elliott and John Leahy struggled to fix Elliott's chair seconds before the cameras went on in the council chamber.

"Lynnway is a phenomenal community business partner who hires phenomenal people in Billerica, and this is horrific. There is nothing but sadness and horror at this. There is no other reaction." -- Billerica Selectmen Chairman Andrew Deslaurier, on the tragedy at Lynnway's Greater Boston Auto Auction. Three people died and nine were injured, including one with life-threatening injuries.

"It's simply a horrific event. I have neighbors and friends who work over there. My heart goes out to everyone involved. Prayers for all involved... Lynnway is such an active partner in the community. They are always there to step up and help out. I'm confident Billerica will do the same for them in their time of need." -- Billerica Rep. Marc Lombardo, on the tragedy at Lynnway.

"I'd like to thank the residents in the community for supporting the Fire Department, the firefighters, and we look forward to bringing forward a new fire station in the near future." -- Fire Chief Michael Hazel after Town Meeting approved $15 million for a new Center Fire Station.

"I think it takes a lot for many women to sign up to do this, but I think now more than ever women are jumping at the chance to try. I knew before the presidential election that, fine, if these people could run the country, I could run for school committee. I've always been a super voter and followed local stuff." -- New Dracut School Committee member Sabrina Heisey, on running for office.

"One of my flaws is that I am prepared to talk about stormwater all day, all night, so you'll probably have to shut me up." -- State Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Coordinator Frederick Civian, at Chelmsford Town Meeting Monday night.

"It is a highlight of my day if I see somebody pulled over there." -- Chelmsford Precinct 9 Town Meeting Rep. Danielle Evans on the reckless driving she sees in the area of South Row Elementary School.

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